Retail giant Reg Vardy is to open a high-tech training academy at its Sunderland headquarters to address the skills shortages that is crippling the motor industry. The AM100-listed dealer group plans to create a world-class centre of learning offering a wide range of opportunities to its 5,400 employees.

All new recruits and existing staff members will get a bespoke personal development plan to help them pursue a well-defined career path. Vardy hopes this will help attract new faces into the industry as well as increasing staff retention.

Building on existing training offered by the group, the academy will allow employees to expand their existing talents, learn new skills and follow a clear path to promotion. To manage the academy, the group has recruited training professionals who will be overseen by sales director Sue Porter.

“The programmes are designed to provide training for every single job role in the group. Colleagues will be able to monitor their progress and each next step as they move forward on their training path,” says Porter. “It is a real investment in the future of every one of our colleagues at every level, whether they work in sales, service, finance, administration or any other department.”

Training will fall into two main areas: core training, which gives staff the skills to do their job, and development training, which will prepare them for promotion.

Most courses will be developed and operated in-house, but will be run in the eight regions where the groups' dealerships are based.